Easel-back frame and adaptor therefor



United States Patent 3,540,146 EASEL-BACK FRAME AND ADAPTOR THEREFOR Robert M. Watkins, 810 E. Main St.,

Forest City, N.C. 28043 Filed June 11, 1968, Ser. No. 744,282 Int. Cl. G09f 1/12 US. Cl. 40152.1 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An easel-back adaptor and the combination thereof with a frame and an easel back, wherein a frame such as a custom frame assembled from shaped molding is propped up in position for displaying an object through the use of an easel back secured in assembled relation with the frame by an angle member fitted into a rabbet in the reverse side of the frame.

As photography has grown in importance, and particularly as the use of photographic portraits has become more widespread, a type of frame has been developed specifically for photographic prints and come into wide use in displaying works such as photographic portraits by supporting the work on a table top or other article of furniture, rather than by hanging the work on a wall. In order to more readily facilitate such display of a framed work, frames of the type known as easel-back frames have come into general use. An easel-back frame, as referred to herein, is a frame having means secured on the reverse face thereof which may be arranged to prop the frame in a generally upright position on a table top or other horizontal surface. Typically, the means provided is in the form of a hinged leg secured to the back of the assembled frame and pivotable between a position lying flat against the back of the frame and an extended position for propping the frame generally upright for viewing.

While easel-back frames of the type described have conventionally been mass produced from sheet metal materials, and thus tend to have substantial uniformity of appearance, frames in which works such as paintings and drawings are displayed have long been manufactured by a custom assembly procedure. In such a custom frame manufacturing procedure, shaped moldings are cut to appropriate lengths and assembled into a frame of appropriate dimensions. The frame, as assembled from the shaped moldings, is provided with a rabbet in the rear surface thereof for receiving the work to be displayed and a protective sheet of glass if required.

While custom frames, assembled from shaped wood moldings, have long been chosen and used for fine art objects and are desirable for use with works such as photographic portraits, such frames as heretofore assembled are intended for hanging display and are conventionally provided with transverse wires for that purpose. No provision has been made heretofore for table top display of works so framed, other than the possible use of a separate, miniature easel to receive and support the framed work. Inasmuch as the purchase and use of separate easels has not been widely accepted, few merchants supplying frames for works such as photographic portraits suggest the use of custom framing and few customers seeking to have such works framed seek to take advantage of the variety obtainable through the use of custom frames even when aware of that advantage.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a means whereby a frame having a rabbet of predetermined depth and outline configuration formed therein for receiving a work to be displayed, such as a frame assembled from shaped moldings, may be assembled together with an easel back and thereby accom- 3,540,146 Patented Nov. 17, 1970 modated to display by being propped upright on a table or other supporting surface. In realizing this object of the present invention, an adaptor is provided which is con structed to be fitted within a rabbet of predetermined depth and outline configuration and to define an easel-back retaining lip or leg beneath which an easel back may be slipped to be assembled with the frame to which the adaptor is secured. Preferably, and as described hereinafter, the adaptor comprises an angle member having a frame attachment leg to be positioned within the molding rabbet and secured thereto in an appropriate manner, and an easel-back retaining leg for receiving and securing the easel back.

Some of the objects and advantages of the invention having been stated, others will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the elements of a combination constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, from the rear, of the elements of FIG. 1 as assembled for use;

FIG. 3 is a plan view, in partial section, through the combination of FIG. 2, taken generally along the line 33 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view, in partial section, through a portion of the construction of FIGS. 2 and 3, taken in similarity to FIG. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the combination of my invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in an exploded view to illustrate the elements of the combination and in an assembled view to illustrate the manner of use of the combination. While my invention is particularly advantageous for a frame 10 which is constructed by cutting appropriate lengths from a selected shaped wood molding and then mitering and joining the lengths to form a frame of a desired size, it must be recognized that the frame 10 may also be formed as a unitary structure by manufacturing techniques such as injection molding or wood carving. My invention is equally advantageous with frames produced by any of these or still other procedures, thus opening a very wide range of possibilities for consideration by merchants and customers.

In order to prop the frame 10 in a generally upright position on a horizontal surface such as a table top, the combination of my invention includes an easel back 15. In accordance with conventional practice, the easel back 15 includes a swing leg 16, secured to the easel back 15 by suitable means such as a pair of rivets 17 and pivotal outwardly and rearwardly of the easel back 15 along a fold line. In order to limit the range of pivotal movement of the swing leg 16 rearwardly of the easel back 15, a movement limiting tape 18 is conventionally included. In many instances, it is desirable that the free end of the swing leg 16 terminate adjacent the corner of the easel back 15 when the leg is swung against the easel back 15, and be cut along lines parallel to the edges of the easel back 15. Such a construction for the swing leg 16 permits accommodation of a single easel back 15 to display of works which are more nearly vertical in character as Well as display of works which are more nearly horizontal in character. That is, where a conventional rectangular frame size is used, such as the well-known and standard 5 x 7", 8 x 10" or 11" X 14" sizes, a single easel back 15 may be adapted to either horizontal or vertical positioning of the longer side of the frame. While one specific form of easel back has been selected for illustration and description, I contemplate that the adaptor of my invention is to be used in combination with any commercially available easel back suitable for assembly with a frame. Accordingly, the utility of my invention is not to be considered a as limited to the particular easel back illustrated in the drawing and described above.

In order to secure the easel back 15 in assembled relationship with the frame 10, I provide an adaptor 20 comprising an angle member having an outline configuration and end-to-end length correlated to the outline configuration and circumference of the easel back 15, for fitting into the rabbet 11 of the frame 10. While I foresee that the angle member 20 may be produced by any of a number of methods, such as injection molding or extrusion, and from a number of materials, such as various plastics or metals, that member preferably is press formed of a light-gauge sheet steel and has an L-shaped cross-sectional configuration (FIG. 4). In any event, the angle member 20 includes a frame attachment leg 21 having a depth at least equal to the thickness of the easel back 15, which frame attachment leg is secured to the frame within the rabbet 11. While any suitable means may be chosen for securing the frame attachment leg 21 in position, the illustrated embodiment employs a plurality of driven nail fasteners 22. The angle member 20 additionally includes an easelback retaining leg 23 which, when the angle member 20 is secured within the rabbet 11 of the frame 10, extends into the perimeter of the window cut through the frame 10, and is spaced from a parallel surface of the rabbet 11 at a distance determined by the depth of the frame attachment leg 21, as pointed out more fully hereinafter. In order to assure proper spacing of the adaptor 20 in the frame, the attachment leg 21 preferably has a longitudinal- 1y extending dimple or stop 24 (FIG. 4) which protrudes outwardly of the adaptor to facilitate installation of the adaptor in a frame.

In this particular embodiment illustrated, the outline configuration of the rabbet 11 cut into the frame 10 is that of a right rectangle of unequal side length, and the outline configuration of the easel back 15 to be received within the rabbet 11 is substantially the same as the configuration of the rabbet. In accordance with the present invention, where the outline configuration of the rabbet into which the adaptor is to be fitted is a right retangle, the end-to-end length of the angle member 20 is correlated to the circumference of the easel back 15 and the rabbet 11 in such a manner that the ends of the angle member when installed in the rabbet are spaced apart a distance generally the same as the greatest Width of the easel back, defining therebetween an open side of the adaptor which extends along only one side of the rectangular outline configuration. As herein used, the phrase greatest widt refers to the maximum dimension of the easel back taken in a horizontal direction when the easel back is held in the use position or propped generally upright as though supporting the frame 10. Thus, if it is intended that the work to be displayed be mounted for display of a rectangular frame in a more horizontal position, the adaptor chosen to permit assembly of an easel back 15 with the frame 10 may have a side open other than that illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Additionally, it is contemplated that an adaptor in acordance with the present invention might be employed with frames of other than right rectangular configuration, such as an oval frame.

In accordance with my invention, the assembly of an easel back 15 with a frame 10 is particularly facilitated by an adaptor of the form described above. More particularly, the comparative depth of the rabbet 11 and of the frame attachment leg 21-of the angle member 20 are such that the easel back 15 and the other additional materials required for proper display of a work may be accommodated between the parallel and spaced apart surfaces defined by the rabbet 11 and the easel-back retaining leg 23 of the angle member 20, as brought out more fully by FIGS. 3 and 4. More particularly, it is frequent practice to assemble into the frame 10 a glass sheet 25 for protecting a work to be displayed as well as a work 26 which is to be displayed and a filler sheet 27 to provide a backing between the work 26 and the easel back 15. In assembling these elements into the frame 10, the adaptor of the present invention is first secured within the rabbet 11. Then, the glass 25 may be slipped between the spaced apart ends of the angle member 20 and beneath the retaining leg 23, to be dropped into position within the rabbet 11. The work 26 to be displayed and the cardboard filler 27 are then similarly inserted behind the protective glass sheet 25. Thereafter, the easel back 15 may he slipped between the spaced apart ends of the angle member 20 and pushed beneath the retaining leg 23 to be secured to the frame 10 by the adaptor 20. Disassembly to permit insertion of a work to be displayed proceeds in the reverse manner, with the easel back 15 being slipped from beneath retaining leg 23 of the angle member and between the spaced apart ends to permit similar removal of the filler 27 and protective glass sheet 25 as required.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. The combination of a frame having a rabbet of predetermined depth and outline configuration formed therein for receiving a work to be displayed, an easel back having an outline configuration corresponding to that of said rabbet and received therein for supporting the work to be displayed and for propping said frame in a generally upright position, and an adaptor for securing said easel back and said frame together, said adaptor comprising an angle member having an outline configuration and end-to-end length correlated to the configuration and circumference of said easel back and fitted into said rabbet with the ends of said angle member spaced apart a distance generally the same as the greatest width of said easel back, said angle member having a frame attachment leg having a depth at least equal to the thickness of said easel back and secured to said frame within said rabbet and having an easel-back retaining leg overlying said easel back for holding the same assembled with said frame, whereby said easel back may be slipped from beneath said retaining leg of said angle member and between said spaced apart ends and thereby disassembled from said frame to permit insertion of a work to be displayed.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said frame comprises a shaped molding, said rabbet is formed with a depth for receiving a protective glass sheet as well as a Work to be displayed, and said frame attachment leg has a depth greater than the depth of said rabbet by the thickness of said easel back.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said rabbet, said easel back and said adaptor are all of generally rectangular outline configuration and said ends of said angle member define therebetween an open side of said adaptor extending along only one side of said outline configuration.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said angle member is formed of light-gauge material, has a symmetrical L-shaped cross-sectional configuration and wherein said legs of said angle member define therebetween a right angle.

5. The combination of a frame assembled from a plurality of shaped molding pieces and having a rabbet of predetermined depth and rectangular outline configuration formed therein for receiving a work to be displayed, an easel back having a rectangular outline configuration corresponding to that of said rabbet and received therein for supporting the work to be displayed in said frame and for propping said frame in a generally upright position, and an adaptor for securing said easel back and said frame together, said adaptor comprising an angle member formed of light-gauge material to have an outline configuration and end-to-end length correlated to the configuration and circumference of said easel back and fitted into said rabbet with the ends of said angle member spaced apart a distance generally the same as the width of said easel back and defining between said ends an open side of said adaptor extending along only one side of said rectangular outline configuration, said angle member having a frame attachment leg having a depth at least equal to the thickness of said easel back and secured to said frame within said rabbet and having an easel-back retaining leg extending at a right angle to said attachment leg and overlying said easel back for holding the same assembled with said frame, whereby said easel back may be slipped from beneath said retaining leg of said angle disassembled from said frame to permit insertion of a Work to be displayed.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner member and between said spaced apart ends and thereby 15 W. J. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner 

